He represented King's County in the Nova Scotia House of Assembly from 1871 to 1878 as a Conservative, considered the de facto leader of his party.
The provincial legislatures previously had attempted to legislate their privileges, which were repeatedly rendered by the privy council as ultra vires.
[4] The case arose in 1874 when Woodworth charged the provincial secretary of the Nova Scotia House of Assembly with falsifying a record.
Subsequently, the assembly charged Woodworth with breach of privilege by making accusations without sufficient evidence to support it.
The assembly then passed a resolution charging Woodworth with contempt and ordered him to withdraw until the apology was made.